Subjugations
by Kahskhiori
Summary: -/\- "There are those who conquer and those who are being conquered." -/\- A short story, dissected into even shorter chapters, I wrote some six years ago, based on the characters my sons had been using in their role-playing group, but with names and locations changed. It was one of my first efforts of writing a Star Trek related story.
1. Chapter 1

**Subjugations**

_"The happiness of a man in his life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions."_

- Lord Alfred Tennyson

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**0630 HRS**

Slowly and steadily, the USS _Centurion_ was making its way into the docking bay of McKinley Station. Captain Mitriv Ronovsky was standing on the bridge, watching the helmsman maneuver the ship carefully into place. '_Home again_,' he thought, '_but not for long_.'

The _Centurion_ was docking at the earth-orbiting station to get some of the systems reset and updated, take on needed supplies, and then leave for their new assignment. The longest this stop should take was a couple of days... at least, so Captain Ronovsky was hoping. He didn't care much about the lack of action while the ship would be sitting at the dock, and was therefore looking forward to getting on the way again, soon.

=/\=

Lt. Cmdr. Liam O'Riley was looking out the window of the guest quarters that he had been occupying for the past two days on board the _Centurion_, watching the docking clamps lock into place. He was hitching a ride from his last assignment on the USS _Acquisition_ to McKinley Station where he was to rendezvous with the _Tenacious_. This transfer, he had agreed to so he could advance his career in Starfleet, would put him in the position of Chief Security officer on the USS _Tenacious_ under Captain Roan Price. He was actually looking forward to the change of pace and the new challenges that were awaiting him.

An added bonus of this two-day journey was that he had been able to spend some time with his cousins Derek and Damon Lowe, whom he hadn't seen for several years. It had been a fun two days, and they had done much catching up. '_Those two goofballs haven't changed a bit, since the last time I've seen them_,' he thought with a smile.

He had also met their match, Lt. Ashton Bauer, who never seemed short of jokes to play on them, especially Derek. Somehow, he felt sorry for the new Captain, Mitriv Ronovsky, having to put up with these "three Stooges", and was wondering how the former Captain had handled them all these years. '_A truly extraordinary feat if you ask me!_'

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**0730 HRS**

"Damon, come on," Derek urged his younger brother along, "it's time to get off this ship and have some fun!"

"I don't see why you're so anxious," Damon retorted, "I'm not in a hurry to get in trouble... again. Remember last time we've visited Earth? I can't imagine that they'll ever let us near San Francisco bridge again."

"I don't think I've heard that story yet," Liam was laughing, as they all walked along the corridor on deck 9 toward the turbo lift. "Do I want to?"

"Maybe another time, Liam," Derek chuckled, waving him off. "Besides," he addressed Damon, smiling sheepishly, "Ashton's not with us this time... We shouldn't have any trouble at all."

"Yeah... I still don't understand why he volunteered to stay on the ship and help the repair crew," Damon contemplated with a grin. "I think, he wanted to get away from you, bro."

Derek glanced at him. "Aw, you know Ashton, he can't handle it when someone else touches his 'babies'," he laughed, thinking of his best friend. He knew, he would miss not having him with them, but he also understood how Ashton's mind worked.

"His 'babies'?" Liam didn't follow.

"The computer core and the warp drive," Damon enlightened his cousin. "Matter of fact, to quote Ashton, he said 'I won't let any trained monkeys, other than Derek, touch my warp engines'."

"Shut up!" Derek was mocking annoyance.

Liam chuckled. "Ah... Well, you've got _me_ to compensate," he pointed out with a smirk.

"Ya think, ya can handle us, cuz?" Damon smiled at him broadly.

"Bring it on."

=/\=

They arrived at the turbo lift, when...

"_Lieutenant Lowe!_" The hail from Captain Ronovsky coming over Derek's commbadge interrupted their playful banter.

"Yes, sir." The Assistant Chief Engineer stopped just short of stepping in.

"_I hate to spoil your already brief shore leave, but... we've just received a personal emergency message for you and your brother from the _Washington_. It's from your father_," the Captain sounded concerned. "_Are you able to take the message right now?_"

"Yes, sir," Derek answered, greatly disturbed. "We're not far from Commander O'Riley's guest quarters. We can take the message there in a few minutes."

"_I would suggest you do so, immediately_," Captain Ronovsky advised him.

Derek and Damon looked at each other ominously. This didn't sound good at all!


	2. Chapter 2

**0800 HRS**

Derek Lowe was sitting on the chair across from the computer desk in the guest quarters, still staring at the now blank screen. Everything in him had gone numb. Did he just hear what he thought he had heard? Or was this all a dream... a terrible, horrible nightmare?

His brother Damon had jumped up the moment the message had been over and was now pacing restlessly around the room, trying to make sense of it all. What were they going to do? They had to do something. They had to find out all the details. They had to talk to their father... right away.

"Come on, bro," he addressed his older brother impatiently. "We don't have time for you to blank out. We need to contact the _Washington_."

Derek didn't move.

"Derek!... DEREK!" Damon yelled at him. Derek shook his head, as if waking himself from a hypnotic spell, and finally looked up at his brother. "Let's get a move on, bro. We need to talk to Dad. Start requesting a subspace connection..."

Just then the door opened and a computer technician entered the room. "I need to reset the replicator in this room," he explained his intrusion and started walking toward the replicator unit.

Derek peered at him with curious annoyance. "Does that have to be done right now?", he began, sounding rather stressed.

"Yes, sir. We're on a tight schedule. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Derek's face was starting to turn as red as his hair. Damon watched worriedly, knowing that he probably had to step in before his brother would explode on the technician.

"Bro, come on. We can just go over to McKinley Station and use a computer console there. Then we won't be in the way of all these workers," Damon prompted.

Reluctantly and still eyeballing the technician unhappily, Derek finally stood up and followed his brother and Liam to the door.

=/\=

Just short of the turbo lift, Captain Ronovsky commed them once again.

"_I take it you have received the transmission_," he began. "_What was it about? If you don't mind me asking_."

"It was about our mother...," Derek sighed heavily, "... she's missing."

"_I'm so sorry_," the Captain sounded shocked. "_Will you be needing anything?_"

"No, thanks, Captain," Damon, his Tactical Officer, replied. "We've got to contact the _Washington_ as soon as we get over to the station. We don't know all that much either. We haven't talked to our father directly yet to find out the details."

"How much details could there be?" Derek mumbled sullenly, hanging his head. "She's gone..."

Liam comfortingly laid his arm across his cousin's shoulders.

"_Are you going to be ok, Lieutenant?_", the Captain asked, picking up the extremely sad tone in the Engineer's voice.

Derek raised his head and nodded silently, as if the Captain could see that gesture.

"He'll be fine," Damon answered for him, smiling appreciatively. "Thanks for asking, Captain."

"_No problem. I hope, things will turn out alright_," Captain Ronovsky replied somberly.

"I hope so, too..."

=/\=

Shortly afterward, Derek, Damon, and Liam entered Transporter Room 2. They silently stepped onto the transporter pad and prepared to beam over to the space station.

"Energizing," the Transporter Chief stated routinely.

Derek had been in deep thought all the way to the transporter room, and his mind had been repeatedly replaying bits and pieces of that fateful message: '_...mother not rendezvous with us...shuttle disappeared...don't know what happened yet...started investigation...will keep you up to date...contact me when you receive this message..._' He had barely even noticed that they dematerialized on the _Centurion_ and materialized on McKinley Station.

=/\=

A few minutes later, he found himself walking next to Damon and Liam, not knowing where they were heading. Not really caring, either.

"Let's just go to the lounge on level three and use a computer console there," Damon addressed Liam, completely ignoring his brother, figuring he wasn't 'with' them at the moment anyways.

"Can't we go somewhere with more privacy?" Derek grumbled, letting them know that he was still listening.

"I know a place," Liam interjected. "Let's just go to one of the Vulcan meditation chambers, they're not far from here. Noone will interrupt us there."

"Vulcan what...?" Damon cocked his eyebrow and started laughing.

"Trust me. It's the best place to go," Liam assured him. "The Vulcans would never allow anyone to interrupt somebody's 'meditation' without due cause."

Damon nodded in agreement, but Derek just shrugged. He didn't care, as long as they would find out more. '_Maybe, they have already found her..._,' he dared hoping. '_Maybe, she just got herself lost... maybe..._'

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**0830 HRS**

First Lieutenant Derek Lowe took a deep breath, as he pulled out the Comm PADD from under his uniform jacket. He sat down in front of the table in the meditation chamber and set the device against a water carafe. Forcing himself to concentrate on the task at hand, he tapped the touch buttons, striking it a bit harder than he had meant to, and then instructed the computer to initiate contact with the _Washington_.

"Please stand by. Initiating subspace frequency connection to USS _Washington_," the computer acknowledged.

Damon and Liam crowded around him, as they were waiting for a reply.

"It shouldn't take too long," Derek assured them, "the _Washington _is just inside the Gamma Quadrant."

"Well, hopefully, Uncle Dan has good news for us," Liam sighed.

"And, if not... we'll just have to deal with that, too," Damon stated firmly. "Whatever will happen, we will deal with it... deal with it like men!"

Derek rolled his eyes at his brother's bravery-speech, then he focused back on the screen with his heart pounding into his throat, hoping for a quick response.

'_Think positive, Derek. Think positive_.'

=/\=

"Captain Lowe, sir, incoming communication from McKinely Station," the Communications officer, Lt. Hellenski, informed his Captain. "It's from your sons, sir."

"I'll take it in my ready room," Captain Daniel Lowe replied and rose from his seat. "Commander D'Aljair, you have the conn." He turned and marched toward his office's door. "Dean!"

"Yes, sir."

"Come on!" He commanded his oldest son with a flick of his head. "I want you there, too."

"Be right there, sir," Dean quickly grabbed a data PADD and followed his father.

Daniel Lowe sat down at his desk and turned to the computer screen. Dean stood behind him, at attention. The screen came to life and Daniel was looking into the face of his second-oldest son, Derek. Damon and what seemed to be their cousin, Liam, were standing behind him.

"Father," Derek straightened up in his seat.

"AT ATTENTION!" Captain Lowe boomed at them over the computer. Damon and Liam snapped to attention in an instance. "What kind of laid-back attitude has your Captain let you get by with?" Dan shook his head. "You always stand at attention for a senior officer! I ought to have a talk with that man..."

"Dad! Don't...," Derek started.

"And you, Lieutenant... you don't even think you need to get up?"

"Dad!" Damon interrupted impatiently. "We're _not_ on official business. And, we're certainly _not_ in the mood for this..."

Daniel raised his brows at his youngest son, Damon, and for a long moment the other three were holding their breath, wondering if those two would get into an argument again.

"Is _that _a challenge?" Captain Lowe asked, an intimidating hardness in his voice.

Damon was holding his father's stare with determination. "No. Just... an observation about the situation we're dealing with." They had much more important things to discuss than proper protocol toward senior officers. But, he was not going to cower, if that was what his father thought.

The situation remained highly charged for a few more seconds, then Dan relaxed and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his chest. A simultaneous sigh of relieve could be heard from Dean, Derek, and Liam.

"Very well," Captain Lowe replied with a smirk. "At ease! All of you."

He held out his hand and Dean gave him the PADD that he had brought, containing all the information they had gathered so far during their investigation. Daniel looked at it, analyzing the data for a moment, and then slowly raised his head. His brow furrowed.

"We have a lot to discuss, boys. And... it isn't very good news, either."

Derek's face went pale and Damon's muscles tensed, as their father gave them a brief summary of the whole scope of the situation and what they had discovered so far.


	3. Chapter 3

**1000 HRS**

"I need a drink," Damon remarked, "and something to eat." The three of them had been deliberating for over an hour after the transmission with the _Washington_ had finally ended. There was still so much information to discuss, and he couldn't continue with that on an empty stomach.

"I'm with you," Liam agreed, patting his growling stomach. "Let's go to the bar. It's just on the other side of this level. They serve food, too."

"Wouldn't mind a drink," Derek huffed. "But I'm not hungry..."

"Alright, then," Liam clapped Derek on the back. "Let's go!"

They left the meditation chamber and strolled down the corridor toward the bar, 'Covax's Food & Drink.'

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**1100 HRS**

"There's got to be something that they're missing," Damon sipped on his drink. "If the shuttle was fired on and exploded, there has to be more debris than what the scanners have picked up."

"Do we have to discuss this now and here, in this bar?" Derek was looking around the room and then across the table at his brother and his cousin.

Damon frowned. "Yes, it _has_ to be discussed... right now and right here!" He slammed his hand down on the table. "We can't intrude on the Vulcans again, and we're not able to get back on the ship until later, remember? There are tons of repair and maintenance workers on board. We would only be in the way."

Derek glared at him.

"However,... if someone hadn't at least hit the shuttle, why would there be any debris at all?" Liam pondered aloud, getting them back to the discussion. "That makes no sense."

"I don't know," Damon shook his head, running his hand through his dark brown hair, "It's all very confusing."

"So, where is the shuttle then? Hm? If it wasn't destroyed!" Derek was getting angry.

"_That_ is the mystery," Liam agreed.

"Dad said, they had received a distress call from Mom... they've registered energy traces from weapons fire during their scan, and they've confirmed debris in the vicinity matching the shuttle's identification tags... and yet, there is no shuttle anywhere," Damon summed it up in typical Tactical Officer fashion. "If she ran, how far could she have gotten? The _Washington_'s scans would pick up something, at least on long-range sensors. And they've been sending out a hailing call on all frequencies for hours."

"Then, it looks like she's been destroyed?" Liam hardly dared to ask the question.

"It sure looks like it...," Derek gulped down the rest of his drink. He turned around, looking for the waitress. Raising his empty glass, he nodded over to her, "One more double, ma'am."

"Take it easy, bro," Damon admonished his brother. "They don't use synthehol here."

"And it's a pretty strong whiskey," Liam confirmed.

"The stronger, the better!" Derek defiantly looked at them.

"You're taking this pretty hard, cousin..."

Despite being a Starfleet officer in his mid 20s, Derek was fighting back tears and rage. "And you wouldn't? If it was your mother?"

Liam lowered his eyes in shame.

Derek looked from Liam to Damon and back again, battling with all the painful and angry feelings that were welling inside of him. The remorse over how he had treated his mother, Cassandra, the last time he'd seen her when she was visiting the _Centurion_, was almost unbearable to him.

"The last memory she had of me was my annoyance over her showing up on the ship," he began, "and I didn't even take the time to tell her how much I truly love her...," he swallowed hard, as more tears collected in his eyes. "And now, I might _never _get a chance to say that to her again..."

For a long minute, the ensuing silence seemed to bear down on them like a ten-ton weight, threatening to suffocate them all.

=/\=

Damon's brow creased, when the waitress brought another double whiskey for Derek. "She knew that already, bro," he tried to console his brother mildly, laying his hand on Derek's forearm. "And this," he nodded toward the glass, "will _not _help anything."

"Then, what will?" Derek asked him harshly, knocking back part of the drink.

Damon winced at his brother's tone and shrugged. "Taking action... maybe. For you,... talking to a counselor might be a first step."

"I don't need a shrink!" Derek barked back.

Liam was getting uncomfortable with the situation and, after finishing his own drink, he stood up from his seat. "Well, that's enough for me right now," he glanced at his cousins, putting his empty glass down. "I think, I need some time to reflect. Maybe take a walk around the station. Anybody want to come with me?"

"No thanks," Damond replied. "But, you could keep an eye out for the counselor's office. We might need to know where that is located... later."

Derek shot his brother a narrow-eyed look.

"Aye," Liam pushed his chair under the table. "I'll keep my eyes open. See ya."

Damon nodded at him thankfully, and Liam hurried away.

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**1130 HRS**

Thirty minutes later, after finishing his fifth glass of whiskey, Derek jumped to his feet so abruptly that he knocked over his chair.

Damon grabbed his arm to keep him from falling backwards. "Whoa, bro. Slow down!"

"Let's go sit at the bar," Derek suggested with a definite slur to his words. "Then I don't have to keep looking for that slow-poke of a waitress any more. We'll be right at the source."

"I don't know," Damon was skeptical. "I think you've had enough for today."

"Nope. Ya coming?" Derek was pulling himself from Damon's grasp, marching determinedly to the bar, and flopped himself down on one of the empty barstools.

Damon slowly followed and sat down next to him, watching his brother in dismay, as he addressed the bar tender.

"Hey," Derek shouted, "got anything with more kick than that lame whiskey you serve?"

The bartender looked at him a bit perturbed, but then walked over. "Well, I've just got in a shipment of several bottles of a new, exotic drink," he smiled mischievously. "But... I'm not sure if you could handle that one. From what I've been told it'll smash your brain out, if you don't watch it."

"Ok, no problem then. Get me one!" The inebriated Engineer demanded without hesitation.

The bartender regarded him for a moment, then grabbed a glass. "Alright. As you wish, one 'Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters' coming up!"

Damon frowned and shook his head. "I have the uncomfortable feeling that you're somehow going to get us in trouble today, bro."

Derek gave him a broad grin, as he grabbed the fresh drink and inspected it for a second. "Pan Galactic ... whatever...," he started to lift the glass, "down the ha..."

=/\=

Right then, a quartet of brawny, civilian maintenance workers walked into the room, engaged in loud conversation about something that one of them had overheard just recently. Two of them sat down on the barstools right next to Derek, and the other two remained standing. They continued their animated discussion uninterrupted, ignoring Derek's annoyed glances.

"Can you believe it?" One of them blared out with a loud belly laugh. "How could they lose a shuttle? Those idiots. I bet you the Captain of the _Washington_ will get himself a reprimand for that blunder. How can anybody be so incompetent?" All four burst out laughing, slapping themselves on their thighs, or patting each other on the back.

Damon's eyes opened wide, watching the change of expression on Derek's face woefully as his brother gulped down his drink without pausing and then slammed the glass down on the counter.

Before his younger brother could so much as say a word to stop him, Derek whirled around and grabbed the man closest to him (of course, the biggest one in the group) by the shoulder. "What did you just say?" the red-head growled at the guy, his eyes fiery with rage.

The man's face went from gleeful amusement to stone-cold animosity within a fraction of a second. "Take your hand off me, _boy_," he hissed.

"That's my father you're talking about!", Derek yelled, ignoring the threat. "And my mother is the one missing... That's _n_ot funny at all! How dare you, make it sound like my father doesn't know how to do his job! What would _you_ know about running a Starship?"

"Alright! THAT'S IT!" The man yanked himself away from Derek's grip and jumped off his barstool, facing his opponent with raised fists. "Officer or not, you don't talk to me like this. Right here. Right now. Just the two of us!"

Derek had jumped from his seat, simultaneously, and was already in mid-swing, when Damon grabbed him around his chest from behind and spun him 180 degrees.

"NO, Derek! No fights," he sternly rebuked his brother. He looked back at the brawny man, still standing ready to fight, and gave him a furious, dark-eyed glare. "And _you _need to learn some respect!"

Damon looked around the room uneasily. It had not escaped his notice that onlookers suddenly had gone silent and were staring unhappily at them for causing this commotion. He quickly started shoving his brother, who was fighting to get out of his grip, toward the door and out of the room.

=/\=

"Stop, and calm down," Damon firmly petitioned Derek as they were standing in the corridor outside the bar room. His brother finally stopped struggling with him and relaxed. "Good."

"I can't believe, you let him get away with this... this insult," the red-head fumed, shaking his head in disappointment. "You're usually the first one to jump into a fight."

"_Not_ this time, bro. He wasn't worth it," Damon replied. "We have much more important things to take care of. And we can't take care of them while sitting in the _brig_!"

Derek sighed deeply. He nodded in agreement as Damon gave him a friendly clap on the back, though he was still very upset. Since when had his brother become the more level-headed one?

"Come on, let's go take a walk."


	4. Chapter 4

**1130 HRS**

Lt. Cmdr. Liam O'Riley was strolling along the corridor on Level 4, looking for the Counselor's office. '_Room 423, should be coming up soon_,' he thought to himself. Room 423, that was the information the computer had given him when he had looked up the Counselor's room number. And here was 420, so it had to be just around the corner.

Liam walked a few more meters and then stopped in front of Room # 423. '_4..2..3...this is it. Let's see if Lieutenant Sawyer is in_.'

Lt. Sawyer, the computer had also informed him, was the Counselor on duty. He had contemplated just passing the information on to Damon, but after thinking about it for a little while, he had decided to see her himself. He could use some counseling, too. After all, Cass was his aunt and the whole situation with her disappearance was greatly unnerving to him as well. Maybe Lt. Sawyer had an open spot in her schedule.

Liam O'Riley activated the chime and waited until the door opened. He stepped into an empty room and, walking toward the desk, looked around for the Counselor.

"Make yourself at home," a pleasant female voice came from the adjacent room.

His eyes widened in surprise, and his whole body tensed. '_NO! It can't be!_'

Liam swung around just as Lt. Sawyer stepped out of the small refreshing room. Their eyes locked, and they stared at each other in disbelief, frozen for what seemed endless seconds. His heartbeat was pounding in his head like a hammer. She clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes scornfully, making an icy chill run down his spine.

"Anabelle?" he muttered.

"Liam..."

=/\=

The air in the Counselor's room felt as chilly as an Andorian summer breeze, and it was making Liam's hair bristle. He was gasping for air, since the shock of seeing her again had left him breathless. He kept staring at her while his heart was threatening to jump out of his throat.

"How... are you?" he finally squeaked, not being able to control the pitch of his voice.

"FINE!" The icy coldness in her voice was only matched by her sub-zero glare.

"I... I was looking for... the Counselor," he stammered.

"That would be _me_!" Anabelle replied sharply with an unceasingly contemptuous look in her eyes.

"Oh. I... I didn't know... you had a... uh,... new last name."

"There are obviously many things _you_ don't know!" she sneered.

Liam compressed his lips and wrinkled his forehead. "Yeah... obviously."

"What do you want?" she asked him with a sharp tongue.

"I... I was just... running an errant... for a friend." Fluency of speech was still evading him.

"FRIEND? Don't make me laugh," she scoffed. "Do you even know what that word means?"

His eyes darkened. "Now, hold on a se..."

"NO! You hold on!" Anabelle angrily interrupted his attempted rebuttal. "I have nothing more to say to you! GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

Liam recoiled, staring wide-eyed at the fiery rage erupting from her eyes. He lost all color in his face and, clenching his jaws and bowing his head, capitulated and abruptly marched out of the door.

'That_ was undignified_,' he thought when he stopped in the corridor to calm himself. Thrown out of a Counselor's office in less than 60 seconds... that _had_ to be a record!

His head was starting to spin, and he decided to return to the _Centurion_ and take some time to relax. Relax and think. Think about his next move...

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**1300 HRS**

"Ugh... I think, I'm gonna hurl," Derek Lowe groaned. "What was in that _nasty_ concoction of yours?" He was sitting on the couch in his brother's quarters, holding his head.

"Secret recipe," Damon grinned broadly.

Derek's head was aching and his stomach was doing somersaults. Suddenly, he slapped his hand over his mouth, jumped up, and ran to the bathroom.

"Don't need the Captain smelling alcohol on your breath a mile away, when we go see him," Damon said loud enough for his brother to hear it over his convulsions.

After a few minutes, Derek came back out of the bathroom, white as a sheet. "Then, what is he suppose to smell?" he asked quietly, "My half-digested breakfast?"

Damon looked his brother over with pity. "Hm," he shrugged. "You don't look so good, bro."

"Ya think!"

"You had to try that new drink, didn't you?" Damon shook his head.

"They should have put a warning label on that one," Derek grumbled, rubbing his forehead.

"The bartender was trying to warn you, bro. But you didn't listen." Damon flashed a lopsided smirk. "Sit down and let me get you some crackers. That'll settle your stomach, now that my 'Ejection Elixir' has done its job." He chuckled. "Works every time."

He started rummaging through one of his cabinets for a while, and finally pulled out a box of Saltines. "Here, have at it," he set the box on the table. "And, when you're done, we'll go see the Captain."

"No rush...," Derek moaned in agony.

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**1400 HRS**

"Good that you're here, Lieutenant. The _Washington_ just transmitted updated information on their investigation," the Ops Officer smiled at Derek and handed him a PADD as the two Lowe brothers stepped off the turbo lift onto the _Centurion_'s bridge.

The red haired Engineer started to scroll through the information with Damon looking over his shoulder. "Hm. Looks like they've identified the energy signature from the weapons as matching those of Dosi ships," he gazed at his brother. "That doesn't sound good. Those guys are known for their aggressiveness in dealing with other species."

"But, why would they have any quarrel with Mom?" Damon didn't understand.

"Well, she has been in the Gamma Quadrant, negotiating with the Karemman government," Derek pointed out. "Maybe they don't like the Federation dealing with members of the Dominion."

"Or maybe, the Founders don't like it that the Karemma seem to want to break away from the Dominion," Damon ventured a theory. "And they've sent the Dosi, who are their allies, to take care of the Federation representative... Mom."

"Hm. We can't start speculating, Damon. But something's fishy..."

"We just have to talk to Dad again. And soon," Damon declared with determination.

While they were still analyzing the information, the Captain's ready room door hissed open. Captain Mitriv Ronovsky stood in the door frame, eyeballing the two Lieutenants. They looked up at him and simultaneously cringed at seeing the agitation in their CO's eyes.

"I would like to have a word with you, gentlemen," he grumbled, his voice sounding highly stressed. "Step into my ready room, please."

The brothers exchanged apprehensive looks. Uh-oh!


	5. Chapter 5

In the _Centurion_'s ready room, Captain Mitriv Ronovsky sat down in his chair. He leaned forward, folded his hands and placed them on the desk. Lowering his head to collect his thoughts, he took a slow and deep breath.

Lieutenants Derek and Damon Lowe were standing at attention on the other side of the desk. The room remained silent for some time, and the tension grew with every second.

Damon was just about to open his mouth, when the Captain broke the silence.

"I will _not_ tolerate any member of this crew causing a disturbance when under _my_ command!" He looked up with a hard edge to his eyes.

'_Darnit!_' Derek thought to himself while trying to keep his eyes straight ahead. '_He already heard of our confrontation in the bar? News sure travels fast_.'

Captain Ronovsky planted his knuckles firmly on the desk and slowly rose from his chair, stooping over the desk to peer at them even closer. They kept their eyes even.

"You two 'space cowboys' are lucky that there weren't any punches thrown," he glowered. "I would have had you thrown into the brig for the remainder of our stay!" He stood up straight. "I trust, there won't be any more problems from the two of you from now on," he said sternly.

Derek and Damon swallowed hard. "YES, SIR!"

Mitriv Ronovsky's expression softened slightly. "At ease, gentlemen."

They relaxed a bit and exchanged relieved glances.

The Captain stepped around the desk and faced the Assistant Chief Engineer. "As you know, I've had my share of troubles in my life," he admonished Derek. "But we all have to learn to deal with unexpected... and, at times, unpleasant... situations. I want you to go see the station's Counselor, Lieutenant, since ours is on shore leave right now. I will set up an appointment for you."

"Yes, sir," Derek sighed.

"That's an order, Lieutenant," the Captain emphasized gently, while laying his hand on Derek's shoulder.

The grieved Engineer appreciated the friendly gesture and nodded somberly.

Captain Ronovsky walked back around the desk and stood next to his chair. "Well, if there's nothing else...," he started.

"Matter of fact...," Damon interjected, "there is, Captain."

Mitriv Ronovsky raised his brows in surprise. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"I would like to request an extended emergency leave, sir."

"For what purpose?"

"To join my father in his investigation," the Tactical Officer answered promptly.

Ronovsky turned toward the window, walked over to it, and contemplated for a few long moments. Then he swung back around and looked at Damon. "Request denied, Lieutenant."

"WHAT?" Damon's voice became agitated. "May I ask, why?"

"There is no immediate reason for you to leave. Your father is more than capable of handling this investigation by himself," the Captain stated calmly.

"But...," Damon frowned, "... my mother..."

"No buts, Lieutenant," Captain Ronovsky interrupted him. "My decision stands. Your duty to this ship comes first. Do I make myself clear?"

Damon's frown grew into a bitter grimace. '_We'll see about _that_!_'

"Don't misunderstand me," Mitriv Ronovsky continued with compassion, "I do sympathize with your situation. As you're very well aware of, my parents have been missing in action for a long time, but you don't see me gallivanting across the galaxy. We are Starfleet officers and, as such, family cannot come first. Otherwise, you missed your calling, Lieutenant."

He had started pacing with his hands behind his back. Now, he stopped and looked back at at the young officer again. "You _will not _leave this facility, Lieutenant. Is that understood?"

Damon's jaw tightened, but he did not answer. '_We'll see about _that_, too!_'

"Don't make me confine you to your quarters," Captain Ronovsky admonished him firmly.

The tension in the room had grown thick again. Damon still did not answer. The Captain steadily held the young man's gaze for a few more seconds, then sighed.

"Dismissed!"

Derek put his arm around his brother's shoulders and ushered him out of the Captain's ready room.

Mitriv Ronovsky watched them leave with a heavy heart. He sat back down in his chair and folded his hands across his chest. '_I _do_ understand how you feel, Damon, he sighed heavily. Only _all_ too well..._'

=/\=

"_Who_ does that man think he is?" Damon was fuming, as he walked down the corridor next to his brother.

"Last time I checked," Derek sternly reminded him, "your Commanding Officer!"

Damon scoffed.

"And,... as much as he sympathizes with us," Derek continued, being the more level-headed one this time around, "his first duty does lie with Starfleet, this ship, and its crew. And... so does ours, as he correctly pointed out."

"Well, blood is thicker than..."

"Don't get all philosophical on me," Derek stopped his brother in mid-sentence. They had arrived at the Engineer's quarters. "We have our orders," he stated.

Damon frowned.

"I've gotta freshen up and then find Liam," Derek informed him. "Go get some rest, bro. Ok?"

Damon turned around and marched back toward the turbo lift.

"And... don't do anything stupid!" his older brother called out after him.

Damon grinned menacingly to himself. '_We'll see..._'

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**1500 HRS**

"Ah, here you are," Derek remarked when stepping into Liam's guest quarters. "I was hoping to find you on the ship. Was in no mood to go looking for you on the station."

His cousin was sprawled on the couch, almost asleep, but he jumped up as soon as Derek entered. "Need something?"

"Yeah, I have orders to go see the station's Counselor," Derek sighed. "Did you ever find out who that was? I've left the Captain's office so quickly that I completely forgot to ask him about it."

"Aye. It's Lieutenant Sawyer," Liam replied with a slight frown. "Room 423, on level 4."

"Great." Derek was turning around to leave again, then swung back toward Liam, "Shouldn't you be getting your things ready to leave the ship?"

"Right," Liam looked around for his belongings, "I almost got everything together. Just wanted to get a bit of rest and look over some of the information your father sent us. I thought, maybe I could help them make heads and tails of it. Never can have too many minds on a case."

"Good idea," Derek smiled thankfully. "Here are the updates we've just received." He tossed Liam the data PADD. "Don't leave before ya say good-bye, cuz. Ok? Gotta go now, before the Captain gets on to me for procrastinating." He sighed. "Room 423, Lieutenant Sawyer, right?"

Liam looked up from the PADD and nodded. "You might want to put on some armor...," he suggested with a smirk.

His cousin looked at him in puzzlement.

"She... can be a real 'dragon'!" Liam chuckled nervously. "But, I'm sure that has mainly to do with me."

"You know her?" Derek ventured.

"Yeah... at least, I thought I did," Liam sighed, then shook his head, "But that's a long story."

Derek scratched his head. "Well, I'll be off then... to face the 'dragon'," he laughed, acting like he was wielding a sword. "Orders are orders. And, I don't want to get into a 'discussion' with the Captain, again."

"Good luck!"

Liam rolled his eyes in amusement, when his cousin parried an imaginary attack, as he was leaving the guest quarters. '_Maybe I shouldn't have made that remark..._'


	6. Chapter 6

**1900 HRS**

"... and that's the last time I've seen her," Derek sighed with regret. He had been talking incessantly for over an hour, pretty much laying his whole life out in front of the Counselor. "I've thought about sending her a message and apologizing for my behavior tons of times, but... it always got away from me. And now,... now I might never get a chance...," his voice cracked.

"You don't know that," the Counselor, Lt. Anabelle Sawyer, tried to encourage him kindly.

"True, but... ," his eyes lowered. "I just don't know how I would deal with the eventuality... probably go insane for a while..."

"Well, you certainly can't deal with it by getting into a bar room brawl," she remarked.

"Oh... yeah... Captain Ronovsky informed ya about that, eh?" He grinned apologetically.

She nodded.

"I have tried to control my feelings, my fears, but...," Derek's brow creased.

"Control, or bottle up?" she was probing.

"What's the difference?" He shrugged.

"_Big _difference." The Counselor leaned forward to get Derek's full attention. "Emotions _have _to be controlled, not kept shut in, otherwise... things like that incident in the bar today can happen. And next time, you might not have your brother there to keep you out of trouble."

Derek frowned.

"Let me explain," Lt. Sawyer sat back in her chair and folded her hands. "To illustrate... let's assume a man has captured a wild animal, maybe... a wild horse, a mustang. A furious and powerful stallion," Anabelle began. "He confines the animal in a cage, while it keeps thrashing and kicking violently," she looked at him pointedly. "Would you say that the man has control over the animal?"

"I suppose not," he replied after thinking on it for a minute. "He just has it locked up."

She compressed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "What would happen, if that animal finally breaks out of the cage?"

"It would wreak havoc... I would assume." Derek started to see her point.

She gave a sage nod. "Under what circumstances would you say the man truly has control over the animal?"

"I guess, when he can let the mustang out of the cage, and it won't be bucking around like crazy any more, but it would listen to his commands." He cocked his head in thought.

Lt. Sawyer watched Derek's eyes in suspense, as the light of understanding seemed to come on.

"Ahhh... I see."

"Yes, Lieutenant. And it's the exact same thing with emotions," she smiled. "They can be as powerful as a wild animal, a 'beast'. Eventually, something will unlock its cage, so-to-speak, pop the lid from that bottle, and the beast _will_ come out. Controlling one's feelings, self-control, _cannot_ be achieved by locking them up."

Derek looked at her thoughtfully.

"Self-control has to do with the actions we take when experiencing emotions," she continued. "Self-control is achieved when you let yourself have feelings, you acknowledge those feelings, but you never ever take inappropriate or negative actions because of those feelings."

He nodded in understanding. "That's not an easy thing to achieve," he smirked timidly.

"Nobody said that conquest would be easy, Lieutenant," she smiled back at him reassuringly.

=/\=

Half an hour later, Derek Lowe was shaking Lt. Sawyer's hand before leaving her office. It was late and he was ready to head back to the _Centurion_ for some much needed sleep.

"Thanks so much for your time, Counselor," he smiled. "I will try to apply some of the suggestions you've given me. You've been a lot of help. And, I have to say... much more pleasant than _certain_ people had me believe."

"No... problem," she peered at him, "That's... what I'm here for."

Derek turned and exited the room, leaving her behind with a clueless expression on her face.

'_Wonder what he meant with that_,' she shrugged.

After the door closed, Anabelle walked over to her desk and sat down on its corner. For a long while, she was sitting there in quiet contemplation with a far-off, melancholy gaze. '_It certainly is easier to give advise than to apply it yourself_,' she pondered.

She thought about Liam, her reaction at seeing him again, and all the boiling rage that was still churning inside her. She felt ashamed that the simple event of him showing up in her office this morning had unleashed her 'beast', the feelings she had carefully kept contained for so long. But that 'beast' was running free now, and the only way to reign it in, to bridle it, was to confront it. To confront _him_!

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**2000 HRS**

Derek Lowe was running through the corridors on deck 8. He had just finished reading the note his brother, Damon, had left him in his quarters. '_I hope, I'm not too late!_' he thought while turning another corner.

Finally, the doors to shuttle bay 3 came into view. Derek almost ran into them because they didn't open quickly enough. He stopped just inside the huge compartment as the doors closed behind him. His eyes were sweeping the area, looking at each shuttle for a sign of his brother.

After a few seconds, he spotted Damon, who was busily loading equipment into one of the pods. "Damon!" he shouted across the room.

Damon Lowe looked up. '_Oh, great. He's back sooner than I thought_,' he frowned.

"You NINCOMPOOP," Derek hurried toward him. "What in the blazes do you think you're doing?"

"Taking actions!" Damon retorted undeterred.

"Actions? Yeah..., if you're talking about flushing your Starfleet career down the drain," his brother countered sarcastically. "That would be taking actions... , really, really, _bad_ actions!" he reprimanded Damon sternly.

The youngest of the Lowe brothers halted what he was doing and faced Derek. His eyes were dark and challenging. "Better than sitting around here and doing nothing," he growled.

They stared at each other silently for a minute.

"I quite clearly remember the Captain denying your request for leave, bro," Derek started off again in a more soothing tone.

"I don't care," Damon muttered under his breath.

"Matter of fact, I believe, he gave you an order," Derek continued.

"I don't care!"

Derek rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Disobeying a direct order by a superior officer, taking Starfleet equipment without permission... hmmm. I'm sure someone at the hearing will understand...," he proceeded slowly and deliberately with an edge of sarcasm, "... before THEY COURT-MARTIAL YOU!"

Damon's dark brown eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. Derek was readying himself for the punch that was sure to come. But... instead, after a few tense seconds, Damon leaned back against the shuttle and sighed heavily.

Derek relaxed. "Weren't you the one that kept me from ending up in the brig earlier? The one that told me it wasn't worth getting into trouble, because we couldn't help Mom that way?" he reasoned with his younger brother.

Damon shook his head. "I just can't sit around here. I've got to do something," he whispered sadly.

"We will, little bro. We will!" Derek put his hand on Damon's shoulder.

=/\=

"Don't you have contacts in the Gamma Quadrant?" Derek rose from the cargo pod on which they had been sitting, while deliberating for the past 15 minutes, and started pacing.

"I do," Damon acknowledged. "Varscahn. Varscahn Lah'nk."

"Isn't he some kind of smuggler?" Derek cocked his eyebrow while inquiring cautiously.

Damon frowned. "He's in the... information and delivery business," he tried to explain the activities his rather dubious contact was involved in. "If that's what you mean."

The older brother wagged his head in thought. "You should contact him. Wouldn't ya think he might have heard something that could be of help."

"Well, if there's something to know, you can bet your hiney Varscahn knows it." Damon stood up. "Contacting him, however, is another story. I can show Dad where he could possibly find him..."

"That's better than nothing," Derek grinned. "C'mon."

Side by side, they walked out of the shuttle bay with determined strides.


	7. Chapter 7

**2030 HRS**

"VARSCAHN LAH'NK!" Captain Daniel Lowe boomed, while standing in front of the viewscreen on the bridge of the USS _Washington_. Did he just hear this correctly? "A Rakhari pirate?" He shook his head vigorously. "I don't deal with outlaws."

"Dad," Derek tried to calm his father from the viewer. "I don't like it any better than you. But, if there's something going on in that sector, he's the one to ask. You want to find out what happened to Mom, don't you?"

Dan Lowe furrowed his brow. He didn't like this, not one bit. "I just don't like thinking that my youngest son keeps company with that kind of riffraff," he stated with a displeased look on his face. "Besides, how do I know that this... this Varscahn will even talk to me."

"I will supply you with a coded signal you can send out," Damon explained. "It will let him know that you come with a request from me."

"And you think, he will honor that?" his father huffed, still skeptical.

Damon sighed. "Yes. I am like family to him. I am his Para'khari," he confirmed softly. Hesitating, but then adding, "... his blood brother."

For a long moment, Daniel Lowe's face turned to stone, portraying a look that Derek had never seen on his father. In the background, he could see his older brother, Dean, gasping in shock. He braced himself for the barrage of words that would surely come their way, but... nothing.

Damon hated to confess this fact he had kept hidden for some time, because he had always feared how his father would react to it. He watched with apprehension, as his father inhaled slowly and then exhaled sharply, struggling to remain in self-control.

"I see." Dan finally broke the silence.

Damon's heart sunk at hearing the unmistakable tone of disappointment in his father's voice. He compressed his lips and swallowed hard.

"I... will send you the information you'll need... on private channel," he remarked quietly.

"Make it so," Captain Lowe acknowledged, while avoiding to look at his youngest son. "_Washington_ out."

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**2130 HRS**

Lt. Anabelle Sawyer took a last look through her desk and office to make sure she had left things ready for the new Counselor. Everything was cleared of her personal items and in order. She just had a couple more appointments this evening and then her job was finished here on McKinley Station.

She sat down in her chair, picked up the PADD with her appointment schedule, and laid her feet on the desk. Not being able to focus on her work, her mind drifted off to her unpleasant encounter with Lt. Cmdr. O'Riley again. She had tried to calm herself throughout the whole day, but her agitation was still boiling her blood. As she started feeling herself getting all worked up again, Anabelle decided to forgo the rest of her appointments for the day.

"Computer, cancel all remaining appointments for today," she instructed with frustration in her voice. "Send notification to all those concerned."

"Cancellations confirmed," the computer stated in a monotone.

Anabelle laid the PADD down on the desk and took a deep breath. She tried to relax again, but the more she thought about the whole situation, Liam's nonchalant attitude toward her, the more furious she was getting. Continuing her brooding, she plunged deeply into the raging sea of hurt and anger that was churning inside her heart. The surges of her rage and frustration were getting stronger and stronger and threatened to drown her with the force of a hurricane's tidal wave.

Desperately, Anabelle tried to reign in that 'beast', that 'sea monster', that was rearing its ugly head relentlessly, until she couldn't hold herself back any more. She abruptly jumped out of her chair, fuming, and stormed out of the office.

=/\=

"Well, this Varscahn guy didn't seem all that bad," Lt. Cmdr. Dean Lowe remarked, as he stepped into the Captain's ready room behind his father. "Pointing us to the sector where that Karemman insurgent might be hiding out. That was rather helpful."

Captain Daniel Lowe paused for a second, but did not turn around, and then proceeded to his chair. He sat down slowly, watching his oldest son with a curious expression of indifference. '_If that information even proves to be reliable_,' he thought cynically. '_Why would a Karemman ship carry Dosi weapons?_'

"I know, you don't agree with me on that," Dean continued undeterred despite his fathers icy silence, "But, one could understand why he has become an outlaw. It wasn't necessarily his choosing."

Dan's eyebrows shot up. "Not his choosing?" He scoffed. "Don't try to make excuses for that pirate."

"I'm not, Dad," Dean met his father's eyes squarely. "But... you know yourself that the Rakhari government has a very strict and swift justice system. They not only wield the death penalty on any lawbreakers, but their families, too! How fair is that?" his eldest son made a compassionate plea.

"You don't have to convince me that this seems rather... extreme," Dan conceded, "but, it isn't any of our business. We can't get involved in interplanetary affairs of non-Federation members. You know the Prime Directive just as well as I do."

Dean nodded uneasily.

"And... you have no idea if his sentence was deserved or not," his father's voice was getting hard. "We have no knowledge of his case, and it is not ours to judge."

"I was just thinking, that I understand why he felt the need to protect his family," Dean retorted. "Wouldn't you have felt the same way?"

"He could have chosen to just flee," Daniel Lowe slapped his hand on the desk, "Instead, he chose to become a pirate and seek vengeance! There are always other options than all-out rebellion." His agitation was unmistakable. "He just found a convenient excuse..."

"Excuse?" Dean couldn't believe his father's dispassion. He always had thought of him as a supporter of the disadvantaged of the galaxy. "What about his family? He had to..."

"I _don't _want to debate this any more, son," Dan raised his hand and halted Dean in mid-sentence. His eyes went dark. "To quote the famous words of an early-20th-century movie, 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn'."

Dean Lowe rolled his eyes and opened his mouth again...

"That's the end of this discussion!" Captain Lowe commanded sharply.

Dean flinched.

"_Captain, sir_," Cmdr. D'Aljair's voice came over the comm. "_We've arrived at our destination_."

=/\=

"Are you sure these are the right coordinates?" Cmdr. Jaques D'Aljair asked the helmsman.

"We're in the sector our informant had indicated, sir," Ensign Stanley Prowers replied.

"Lieutenant T'Karn, scan the region. Full sensor sweep," Captain Daniel Lowe ordered his Science officer. "Everybody, be watchful."

"Yes, sir!" The entire bridge crew answered in one accord.

The USS _Washington_ was slowly moving forward at impulse speed, scanning the area thoroughly as she went along. It appeared that there was nothing going on in the region.

"Captain," Lt. T'Karn suddenly broke the tense silence on the bridge. "Sensors have just detected what could indicate a cloaked ship. Object is at bearing 091, mark 10, at about 5,000 kilometer distance."

"It could very well be the ship we're looking for, sir," Dean, the Security Chief, addressed his father.

The Captain nodded at him and thought for a brief moment. "Helm, take us around and slowly move us closer. But... don't look like we're trying to get closer," he narrowed his eyes. "Just fly casually. If they're trying to play 'hide-and-seek', they probably won't move, so they don't attract our attention."

"Yes, sir," Ensign Prowers acknowledged. "Heading 045, at half impulse, sir."

"Commander Okamara, keep monitoring the object and inform me the instance it tries to move," Captain Lowe instructed his Tactical Officer. "Let's find out what or who you are, my friend," he muttered to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

**2200 HRS**

The door chimed in Liam's guest quarters aboard the _Centurion_, and he looked up from his data PADD. "Co..."

Before he could even finish the word, the door hissed open and Anabelle marched into the room, stopping halfway between the couch and the door. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes were dark and blazing with fury.

He jumped up from the couch as she entered.

"HOW DARE YOU, Liam Henri O'Riley!" She was breathing contempt at him, balling her fists. "How dare you come waltzing back into my life like this... after all those years... and acting like _nothing_ is wrong!"

Liam was dumbfounded.

She glared at him with fiery rage in her eyes, waiting for him to make a response.

After he found his voice again, he muttered, "It's not like I received a warm welcome from you."

"You expected a _warm_ welcome?" Anabelle glowered. "And what for, I might ask? It's not like you left me anything warm to remember."

He sighed and shook his head. "Suppose I didn't..."

"All these years... all this time... waiting for you to just say something... writing a letter, sending a card, saying your sorry...," she agonized. "But, not a word... no, not ONE word from you!" Her expression changed to sorrow, and her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know what to say, Anabelle," Liam lowered his head, "I have no excuse."

"I LOVED YOU! I loved you more than anything or anybody in this universe," she sobbed, as tears started to run freely down her face.

As much as he wanted to, he could not make himself look at her...

=/\=

In no time, the USS _Washington_ had completely circumvented the target object's flank, shortening the distance between the two ships. All the while, acting as if still sweeping the area for something they had not found yet. Lt. T'Karn had confirmed that the object indeed was a cloaked vessel, as they were moving closer.

"Tactical, lock on photon torpedoes," the Captain commanded.

Lt. Cmdr. Okamara followed orders promptly.

Dean Lowe, the Security Chief, looked surprised. "Shouldn't we use quantum torpedoes, sir?"

"No! I'm not wasting my best weapons on this kind of scum," Captain Daniel Lowe sneered. "Now, let's see who we got here. Lieutenant Hellenski, open a channel."

The Captain squared his stance. "Alien vessel, this is Captain Lowe of the Federation Starship _Washington_. Identify yourself," he started with a commanding voice. "We have photon torpedoes locked on your position. Do not attempt to escape!"

There was no answer.

"Alien vessel, this is the USS _Washington_. Identify yourself, or you will be fired upon," Dan repeated more aggressively.

Again, there was no reply.

The Captain clenched his jaw. "Alien vessel, this is your last chance. Identify yourself!"

But there still was only silence.

Daniel Lowe turned toward his Tactical Officer, Kiashiro Okamara, and winked. "Commander, it seems that our quarry likes to play games. I have _no_ time for that!" He made sure he spoke loud enough to be heard over the communications channel, putting a menacing edge to his voice. "We will end this right now! Fire photon torpedoes."

"Yes, sir!" Lt. Cmdr. Okamara answered loudly, understanding what his Captain was up to. "Firing n..."

"_NO! STOP!_" A deep voice came over the speaker. "_We don't want any trouble. What do you want, Federation vessel?_"

"Looks like we're getting somewhere now," Dean whispered in the background.

"Identify yourself!" The Captain demanded again.

"_This is the Karemman warship _Graethar," the gruff voice replied.

"And, who am I speaking with?" Daniel pried.

"_General Maldok Zzarak_."

"That's our guy," Dean whispered again.

Captain Daniel Lowe took a deep and slow breath before proceeding. "General," he began with a bit of contempt in his voice, "we are in search of the Federation shuttle _Conciliator_. It has failed to rendezvous with us this morning and we have been told that you had a run in with a shuttle matching its configurations."

"_Who is your informant, Captain?_" Zzarak asked with a harsh tone.

The Captain took a moment to consider if he should surrender that information, and then finally decided to go ahead and continue with a somewhat diplomatic approach. "A Rakhari named Varscahn Lah'nk."

"_I didn't know that the Federation has dealings with outlaws_," the General remarked scornfully.

"General," Dan disregarded the remark, "I have no time to play games, as I have already made clear! Did you, or did you _not_ have an encounter with a Federation shuttle this morning?"

"_We did_," General Zzarak finally admitted. "_We tried to... persuade the Ambassador on board to make it clear to Starfleet Command that their presence in this sector is not welcomed._"

"Did you fire upon the shuttle?"

There was a moment of silence, and everybody was holding their breath.

"_The Ambassador... could not be reasoned with. She was... extremely hardheaded_," the General began.

"You should try being married to her," Daniel interjected. "Stubborn is her middle name."

"_She's your wife?_" Maldok Zzarak sounded utterly surprised. "_Karemman women are not allowed to be this... obstinate," _he declared with obvious pride. _"And... yes, Captain. I did give orders to fire at her. But... only to scare her, of course. We did _not_ harm her!_"

"Why that..." Dean murmured enraged.

Captain Lowe silenced his son with a flick of his wrist. "That still doesn't explain why we cannot find the shuttle now," he addressed General Zzarak again. "Would you be able to enlighten me on that?"

"_I believe_," the General started cautiously, "_she... encountered a spacial anomaly, as she parted with us. Some sort of... wormhole, I've been informed_."

"Are you sure about that?"

"_Yes, Captain_," Zzarak confirmed tersely, "_we watched her leave. But then, a blue vortex suddenly appeared in her flight path. That's the last we saw of the shuttle_."

"Is that the TRUTH?" Dean Lowe butted in angrily, not able to contain himself any more.

"_Absolutely!_" General Zzarak sounded stunned at the implication. "_I swear, by my families honor_."

"Honor? What would you..."

Dan motioned his son to silence again. "I see. Thank you for your help," he acknowledged calmly. "However, General, I must inform you, that for committing an act of aggression against a Federation representative, I will have to place you under arrest."

"_That is where you are wrong, Captain!_"

At the same moment, sensors registered a vessel decloaking, several thousand kilometers away, and warping out of the system.

"Captain," the Science officer reported, "I believe... our quarry just got away..."

'_What just happened?_' Dean was thoroughly confused.

Captain Lowe furrowed his brow. "I thought, you were monitoring the alien ship?" He whirled toward his Tactical officer. "What in the blazes do you have that torpedo locked on to?"

Lt. Cmdr. Okamara shrugged in bewilderment.

"Captain," Lt. T'Karn said excitedly, "we're picking up energy fluctuations from the object, sir. I think, its cloak is failing."

Dan spun back around. "On screen."

A small, yellow dot was flickering in front of the background of countless stars.

"Magnify!"

As the computer zoomed in on the object, the cloaking device completely went out.

"What is it?" Dean asked curiously.

"Looks like some sort of small shuttle," Lt. T'Karn speculated. "Like a Workbee shuttle... at least in size."

"That sneaky crook," Captain Lowe huffed. "He was communicating through that thing the whole time! Distracting us from his ship making its escape."

"That would explain the anomalous reading I was getting while monitoring the object," Kiashiro Okamara frowned apologetically, "I thought it was a sensor echo drifting from that position. A glitch, of some sort, like an artifact of our cloaking device scanning routine."

"Brilliant tactician, I must admit." The Captain shook his head. "Let's hope the information he gave wasn't a ruse, too."

Suddenly the tiny shuttle exploded, snapping the bridge crew out of their bafflement. They all looked up at the viewscreen, where uncountable particles of light burned up and faded into darkness.

The Science officer looked at the readouts on his computer screen. "Hmmm. Looks like it was also equipped with a self-destruct device."

Lt. Cmdr. Dean Lowe caught his father's eyes. "What's our next move, sir?"

Dan rubbed his chin. "Well, I suppose, we need to inform Starfleet Command about this act of aggression and wait for further orders," he firmly looked up at his son, "and we should transmit our new findings to your brothers."

"Aye, sir."

=/\=

Anabelle Sawyer's eyes went dark and her face turned red with anger, as she was standing in Liam's guest quarters.

"Look at me," she demanded. "Look at me!"

He raised his head and narrowed his eyes. "No need to yell," he replied, more sharply than he had intended to.

"Yell? You think this is yelling?" Her voice was getting cold and bitter. "Typical! That's just soooo typical. Men! When _you_ raise your voices it's being commanding, but when a woman does it, she yells! Or, better,... she gets hysterical, right?" She glared at him menacingly. "You coward! You don't even have the guts to have a confrontation with me!"

"I don't want to fight."

"Oh, what a surprise," she retorted with unbridled sarcasm. "You rather run, don't you? Well, maybe I want to fight!"

He just stood there and let her vent her anger.

"You're such a JERK!" This time she yelled. "I HATE YOU!"

"No you don't," he whispered.

Anabelle suddenly lunged at Liam and, raising her fists, pummeled his chest with all her might. After a few seconds, he grabbed hold of her wrists and stopped the onslaught of her rage. She let him, not trying to fight out of his grip.

"_This_ is not going to help," he calmly reminded her.

"I know," she admitted, clenching her jaw, "But I thought it would make me feel good."

"Did it?"

"Maybe... for a second..." she haplessly consented.

He cracked a lopsided smile. "Why don't we try something more constructive than this 'barbaric' method," he suggested.

"You're right," she agreed with a nod, "I should be able to handle this differently. After all, I _am_ a Counselor."

Liam released her arms and sat back down on the couch. Anabelle lowered herself onto the chair. They sat across from each other for a few minutes, neither one saying a word. Neither knowing how to start this difficult conversation. She inclined her head and stared into empty space in contemplation.

"Why? Why... Liam? Why did you leave me?" She finally said quietly, looking up at him with an unbearable expression of hurt in her eyes. "I never understood that."

His heart was aching, and he shifted uneasily on the couch.

"Why did you step aside for Jacen? Why did you not fight for me?"

He took a deep breath and finally looked straight at her. "Because, he loved you... and he was my best friend. I couldn't do that to him. I didn't want to hurt him that way," he explained. "He never told you, did he? He never told you that he was head-over-heels in love with you from the time he had met you... But he told me. I knew, and I knew before he introduced us that you meant everything to him..." He shook his head. "I never intended to care about you as much as I did. And, I didn't expect for you to fall in love with me... instead of him. I never thought this would all get so complicated..."

"_That's_ why you left? Left without an explanation?" Anabelle closed her eyes and sighed. "I can't believe this. And I thought you didn't care about me... You broke my heart, you know? You broke my heart..."

Liam's shoulders slumped. "Jacen never knew anything about... us, did he?" he asked.

"No, none of it." She shook her head.

"Then, why did you marry him?"

"Because, after you had signed up with the USS _Patton_, I thought you would never come back. I was hurt and disappointed, Liam. And... he had asked me to marry him. So, I did," she met his eyes. "More out of spite than anything else... It was a terrible thing to do..."

"I wanted to come back," he interjected emphatically, "after realizing how much I loved you! Not one day had gone by that I didn't think of you, while serving on the _Patton_." His voice was growing more melancholy with every word. "And I... I had finally made up my mind to just face Jacen's anger and tell him all of this. But... then, I've got that message from McKinley Station, announcing the wedding of Lieutenant Jacen Farebanks and Ensign Anabelle Branson." The hurt in his voice reached its climax. He paused to regain his composure and then softly finished, "So... that was the end of that..."

"I didn't know..."

"You couldn't have known," he shrugged, "I didn't give you any reason to believe I would come back."

"...and, I certainly didn't think Jacen would get this crazy idea to sign up on the same ship as you, so he could be with his buddy again," she continued. "But, after all that had happened between us, and all the pain you had caused me, I didn't want to be around you. So I decided to stay on Earth and take some more courses at the Academy, to become a Counselor."

"That probably had been for the best," he concluded.

"Maybe... but I always thought... if I had just been there... that somehow I could have prevented..." her voice trailed off.

"You couldn't have prevented his death. Just as I wasn't able to," Liam stated firmly. "I have gone over that moment a million times, thinking that there should have been something that I could have done different. But... to no avail. There wasn't _anything_ anybody could have done to prevent it!"

"But, why didn't you contact me after his death?" She narrowed her eyes. "I was waiting... waiting for some message, some letter telling me how sorry you were for my loss... ANYTHING... but nothing came. Nothing at all! And, the longer I waited the more I started to resent you."

He lowered his eyes, staring at the floor. "You have no idea how often I wanted to write you, how often I had started a letter... and ended up deleting it. Because... I just didn't know what to say, didn't know how to explain to you that I had let your husband die, that I had _watched_ him die and hadn't been able to do anything about it," his voice cracked, and he paused for a moment, "And, I just couldn't forgive myself for all of it. So how could I expect _you_ to forgive me..."

When he raised his eyes again to look at her, his cheeks were wet with tears.

Anabelle's heart was throbbing and her eyes filled with tears again, too. "_You_ couldn't forgive yourself?" she whispered. "_I'm_ the one who had reason not to forgive myself... You're the one that has _no_ idea, Liam." Her voice quivered. "When I received the message about the attack on the _Patton_, all I could think about was _you_! I was more worried about you... than my own husband. The guilt I felt after learning of Jacen's death was unbearable." Tears started to trickle down her face. "How would you like to live with _that_?"

Liam gazed at her in agony. "I don't know what to say."

"There isn't anything to say about it any more," she replied quietly, wiping her tears away. "We both need to forgive each other... and ourselves."

He nodded.

"There are some definite steps we'll have to take, though, and it won't be easy," she began explaining as 'the Counselor' in her took over. "First, we need to establish where we're at. Second, we need to figure out where we need to be. And third, we need to plan what direction to take to get there."

And so, they continued their conversation, slowly untangling the complicated and twisted mess of emotions that had been constricting them for over seven years...


	9. Chapter 9

**0000 HRS**

On the opposite side of the Galaxy, in the Beta Quadrant, the Science vessel USS _Pacifica_, under command of Captain Valerie Stevenson, had just arrived at the B-Zeta Nebula located in the Fen Damar region, a relatively uncharted part of space. As they started their scanning procedures, in preparation for conducting their experiments, the ship's sensors picked up a Starfleet emergency beacon.

Captain Stevenson directed her crew to carefully move the ship further into the nebula. Shortly afterward, they detected the Federation shuttle _Conciliator_, at drift, with one lifeform on board and life support at minimum.

After tractoring the shuttle aboard, the Medical team discovered a human female in the cabin, who identified herself as "Cassandra O'Riley-Lowe, civilian negotiator for Starfleet Command." She appeared to be under shock, severely dehydrated, and highly disoriented and frightened. The Chief Medical officer immediately ordered for her to be taken to sickbay.

Not long afterwards, while examining the flight recorder data on the shuttle, the Engineering crew came across some very strange and disturbing recordings. The Chief Engineer, Lt. Cmdr. Gavin, rushed to his Captain's ready room to discuss the readings with her.

=/\=

"What is so important that it can't wait for a minute, Chief?" Captain Stevenson was just a tad annoyed when he intruded.

"Captain, according to the flight data we've recovered, that shuttle had been on its way to rendezvous with the USS _Washington_," Gavin was excited, "... in the GAMMA QUADRANT!"

The Captain was confused. "What does that mean, Commander?"

"It means, Captain, that the _Conciliator_ has evidently traveled through a wormhole of some sort...," he explained, "...an unstable wormhole. And Mrs. Lowe can count herself lucky that she made it through in one piece. The radiation output of that wormhole and the stress on the shuttle were immense."

Captain Stevenson froze and wrinkled her forehead.

"And that's not all, Captain," the Chief Engineer continued. "She must have had a violent encounter with someone back in the Gamma Quadrant."

"What are you trying to tell me, Chief?"

"Well, the computer recorded a torpedo lock and decompression of the shuttle's cabin, because the rear hatch had been blown open," he informed her grimly. "_Somebody_ was definitely after her!"

Valerie Stevenson looked concerned. "That _does_ sound like an attack..." she contemplated.

"I would advise you to contact Command without delay, Captain."

"Agreed."

After Chief Engineer Gavin left the ready room, Captain Stevenson turned to the computer and made request for a security subspace channel to be opened to Starfleet Command.

=/\=

Upon receiving the information from the _Pacifica_, Starfleet Command passed the news of his wife's rescue on to Captain Daniel Lowe, who had reported her disappearance almost 18 hours ago. Admiral Tucker, however, wisely withheld the information about the confirmed torpedo attack on the shuttle. If Daniel Lowe would find out that General Zzarak had lied to him about just firing warning shots at Cass, there could be some real problems. And the Admiral knew that Starfleet Command would not tolerate one of its Captains chasing an outlaw with personal vengeance on his mind. First, he wanted to talk to Dan one-on-one, before telling him anything more. So he gave orders for the USS _Washington_ to leave the Gamma Quadrant and rendezvous with the _Pacifica _to pick up Mrs. Lowe and then return to Earth immediately.

Meanwhile, an alert would have to go out to all Federation Starships in the Gamma Quadrant to watch for General Zzarak's vessel, the _Graethar_. The General had definitely established his place on the Federation's "Wanted" list.

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**0100 HRS**

"_Lieutenant Lowe!_" Captain Ronovsky's voice shouted over the comm. "_Wake up!_"

Derek looked around disoriented. He had been dozing, drifting in and out of consciousness for the past few hours, waiting for sleep to overcome him. Now he jumped up from his bed, startled by the loud voice.

"Yes... Captain?" he muttered drowsily.

"_Incoming transmission from the _Washington," the Captain informed him. "_We're putting it through to your room_."

"Thanks." Derek stumbled to his desk and sat down in front of the computer.

"Derek," his father's voice prompted him to look at the screen, "they found her!"

"Mom?"

"Yes." Dan smiled happily. "The USS _Pacifica_ had picked up her emergency beacon... in the Beta Quadrant. Evidently, she 'hitched' a ride through a wormhole."

Derek blinked in astonishment. "Wow! Leave it up to Mom to discover a new wormhole..."

"Well, she definitely has some things to explain," his father chuckled, "The important thing, right now, is that she has been found and is well. So make sure you tell your brother, would you?"

"Sure."

=/\=

The transmission ended. Derek sat there for another few moments, letting his father's words sink in. Then he suddenly jumped up and started dancing around the room. All that worry, all that uncertainty, that had weighed him down for the past day, had been completely lifted. Even his sleep deprivation did not keep him sluggish any longer, as adrenaline was rushing throughout his body. Once he would have talked to Damon and settled back down, sleep would come easily, he was certain now. He petted his dog, Smokey, on the head as he skipped out of the room on his way to his brother's quarters.

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**0200 HRS**

After endless hours of repeated debating, analyzing, reflecting, and apologizing, Liam and Anabelle had finally made progress in dealing with all those painful feelings that had compounded since Jacen Farebanks' death. Walking this path to emotional healing truly hadn't been easy, and they still had many more steps to take. But they were moving forward, and that was encouraging.

Liam was standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back, while Anabelle was pacing restlessly around the guest room. "I'm sorry we wasted all those years," he said with sorrow. "It was all MY fault. I..."

"No! I played my part, too." Anabelle firmly halted his self-condemnation. "I was so blinded by my rage and self-pity that I never even considered contacting you."

Her eyes glistened with tears as she stopped her pacing and walked over to him. Liam turned to face her and put his hands on her shoulders consolingly. And as he drew her close and wrapped his arms around her gently, he could feel her trembling.

Anabelle buried her face into his chest and started sobbing profusely. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, softly pressing his lips against her hair and slowly breathing in its fragrance. That oh-so-familiar scent triggered a thousand memories, flooding his mind relentlessly and unlocking feelings that he had buried within the deepest crevices of his heart so many years ago.

They stood there, holding that warm and comforting embrace, for what seemed an eternity.

=/\=

Anabelle's sobbing finally ceased and she slowly looked up at him. Their eyes locked.

Liam barely dared to breath while he lost himself in those beautiful deep-green eyes. It was like gazing on a never-ending Highland meadow when the morning sun reflected off the fresh dewdrops and made the grass glitter like dusted with gold. He could have looked at them forever...

'_SHE IS MARRIED!_' His own conscience snapped him back to reality.

He blinked a few times, breaking the mesmerizing spell her eyes had put on him. Drawing in a deep breath to clear his mind, he looked back at her without that incessant yearning in his eyes.

"Liam," she whispered softly, "if things were different... "

He gently shook his head. "But, they are not," he pointedly stopped her before she could finish the sentence, stating a fact that both of them only knew too well. And it didn't matter how much his heart yearned to say anything else, this was were he had to draw the line, and he could not allow himself to cross it.

Liam released her from his embrace and she backed up a few steps. Anabelle pulled her gaze away from him and, lowering her head, she briefly reflected on all that had transpired within the last few of hours. He watched her thoughtfully.

After a few seconds, she looked back up at him with sorrow and regret in her eyes. "Then, perhaps it isn't such a good idea for me to stay any longer."

"Perhaps not..." He nodded.

"I need time to think about all of this... this new situation between the two of us," she said, before she started walking toward the door. "I suggest, you take time for that, too," she admonished him with a gentle smile, turning back over her shoulder before she left the room.

"Aye."

=/\=

After the door closed behind her, Liam stepped back and slumped into the chair. His stomach was churning and his head was spinning. Planting his elbows on his knees and lowering his head into his hands, he started the long and arduous work of calming his mind and reigning in his emotions. Slowly and deeply he inhaled, filling his lungs with fresh air, and then, with one long drawn-out sigh, he forcefully exhaled all the anguish in his heart.

Had they just climbed over this huge mountain of hurt feelings and resentment that had stood between them for all those years only to run into a brick wall? Yes, again he had come to his senses too late. She was married, and that fact he could not escape. He knew he had to work through this and somehow get beyond it. Somehow...


	10. Chapter 10

**0500 HRS**

_"FEDERATION SHUTTLE, STOP! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OUTRUN US!"_

_Cassandra Lowe was taking her shuttle through a sweeping turn, trying to get away from the Karemman ship that had suddenly appeared in her flight path and had been threatening her. They had demanded for her to persuade Starfleet Command to discontinue their negotiations with their government, and she was not willing to cooperate with an insurgent. As the shuttle moved further away from the warship, she was punching control buttons fervently._

_"FEDERATION SHUTTLE, STOP IMMEDIATELY! OR YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON!"_

_The shuttle's warp engines were powering up, while Cass was still pressing keys randomly. "Hurry up, you stupid thing," she slapped her hand down on the panel._

_Suddenly, the computer informed her, "Anti-matter pods have been ejected. Warp engines are shutting down."_

_"WHAT?" She gasped. "Darnit! What in the world did I hit? Stupid controls."_

_"FEDERATION SHUTTLE, THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"_

_Cass did not power down the shuttle, but kept on moving away, planning her escape vector. Surrender, she felt, was not an option._

_"Photon torpedo detected," the shuttle's computer announced calmly._

_Drops of sweat were collecting on Cass's brow. "Great, what'll I do now? No warp drive and a torpedo locked onto my rear..." Her mind was racing through all possible choices. "Shields! I need shields."_

_Again, she started punching the controls feverishly. Some data was flashing across the computer panel. "NO, no! I don't want information on the Holoshopping Network," she frowned in frustration, "Darnit, stupid computer."_

_Cass desperately tried to remember the bits of training she had received some years ago and continued pushing buttons. She was not going to give up that easily. She was a fighter._

_"Deflector shields are raised," the computer finally acknowledged her success. But she wasn't sure if that would be enough to keep her save._

_"Got to distract its targeting system," she muttered. Sweat was running down her temples now, and Cass felt the cold feeling of panic creep up on her. She hadn't been trained for THIS kind of emergency. She quickly buckled up, and in one swift, yet rash, decision she punched the button to blow open the rear hatch and jettison whatever was not bolted down._

_Instantaneously, alarm sirens started to blare, only to be silenced by the absence of atmosphere. With an enormous 'WHOOSH', all air and ALL unsecured equipment was sucked out of the cabin._

_Cass had expected to be able to hold her breath until she would have had a chance to order the computer to seal the hatch again. But the second she had blown the hatch, the air in her lungs had been ripped from her with one excruciatingly painful cough. Her eyes popped open in horror and started burning intensely as all her tears vaporized. She wanted to scream, but no sound came from her lips. Her dry tongue felt like a foreign object in her mouth. If she had felt panic before, THIS was sheer terror!_

_Her body was pulling against the constraints of her seat belt and her hair was floating upwards. It took great effort to focus her mind. As if in slow motion, she saw her hands reaching for the controls while the red flashes of light rang a silent alarm. One thing she knew for sure was that she did not have much time before she would loose consciousness._

_She was surprised at the numbness of her fingertips while she was entering commands. It was not until the panel's display screen read, "Sealing rear hatch. Reestablishing atmospheric pressure", that Cass was sure she had actually touched the buttons. She slowly turned toward the back of the shuttle to visually confirm that her instructions were being carried out._

_Beyond the steadily closing hatch, she could see the ejected debris floating out in space, spreading out like tiny asteroids. A sparkling blue star was marvelously growing larger, and Cass suddenly realized with intense clarity that it was her deadly 'stalker', the photon torpedo. Images of Daniel and her three boys flashed before her eyes. Then the hatch locked._

_She started hearing the faint hissing of air being released into the cabin, the rhythmic, yet muted, buzzing of the environmental alarm, and the remote beeping of the control panel. For a second, Cass thought she was hallucinating. Then she turned to see what the computer was trying to alert her to._

_"Subspace distortion detected," she could make out on the screen._

_"What the..." she heard herself whisper as if in a dream._

_At the same moment, an immense detonation lit up the space around her, as the photon torpedo collided with one of the ejected anti-matter pods. She was thrust back into her seat when the energy wave catapulted the shuttle forward. Her eyes started blurring and her mind barely registered a gigantic vortex appearing in front of her as she slipped into unconsciousness._

=/\=

Cassandra awoke, panting and covered in sweat. She was exhausted and her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest. Reliving her peril through this reoccurring nightmare had made it difficult for her to get any real sleep.

Still somewhat disoriented, she was looking around the room to regain her bearings. As she took in her surroundings she started to remember that she had been picked up by the USS _Pacifica_. Following that, she had spent an hour in sickbay before they had let her go to one of the guest quarters to rest.

'_How long have I been out?_' she wondered.

"_Mrs. Lowe!_"

"Yes, Captain Stevenson," Cass answered the insistent voice, surprised at being able to recall the Captain's name.

"_We are receiving a subspace transmission from your husband_," Valerie Stevenson informed her. "_Would you like me to put it through to your quarters?_"

"Yes, please," Cass replied, then paused for a second, before adding, "I really appreciate all your help, Captain."

"_No problem_."

=/\=

A minute later, Cass was sitting in front of the computer. Her husband's face, displaying concern, appeared on the screen. He looked her over and frowned.

"Cass, sweetheart," he muttered, "you don't look so good."

She smiled drearily. "You know just how to make a woman feel loved, dear."

Daniel cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I know, Dan, I know," she stopped him with a dismissive gesture of her hand.

"What in the blazes are you doing in the Beta Quadrant, Cass?"

"Hm. Captain Stevenson said something about a possible wormhole," she tried to recall her discussion with the Captain of the _Pacifica_ after they had analyzed parts of the flight data of the shuttle. "An unstable wormhole... I believe, or something like that."

"I've received the same information. I'm surprise the shuttle's computer didn't take evasive actions," Daniel contemplated.

"Uhm... there were... complications," she interrupted him. "But I'm ok, dear. Really. Just had a... bad nightmare."

"Nightmare?"

"Yes. But don't worry, I'll tell you all about it when we meet," she assured him.

"Well, ok," he consented. "Just wanted to advise you about when we're scheduled to pick you up. I've already talked with Captain Stevenson and she confirmed the estimated time for the rendezvous."

"Alright. Go ahead and transmit the information, Dan. I suppose, I see you then," Cass acknowledged quickly. "Gotta get me something to eat. I'm starving!"

'_Sounds like she's starting to feel better_,' Daniel Lowe smiled broadly before he terminated the communications link.

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**0600 HRS**

"What were you thinking?" Damon gasped in disbelief, staring at his mother over the computer screen.

Cass shrugged. "Nothing, probably. I just wanted to get away."

"But... blowing the hatch?" He was beside himself. "Mom, are you nuts? That was almost suicidal."

Derek jabbed his brother with his elbow. "Don't talk to her like that. She's your mother."

Damon was getting mad. "I don't care! That was absolutely stupid!"

"Never mind how stupid it was," Derek reprimanded him. "She made it through alright. It saved her live. That's all that matters."

"Oh! Now you want to act all brave," Damon mocked. "Mister, 'I don't know how to live without her. I was sooo mean to her, and now I'll never be able to apologize.' Boohoo!"

Derek's face was turning all shades of red.

"Boys!... BOYS!" Cass stopped the bickering before it could end up in an all-out fight. "Stop it! I didn't contact you all the way from the Beta Quadrant to listen to the two of you argue. I just wanted to let you know, that your father's ship is to rendezvous with the _Pacifica_, and he will take me back to Earth then."

"Thanks." The two brothers said simultaneously.

"Good." Cass grinned. "Now, Derek, what's that about an apology?"

"Uhm... I wanted to say sorry to you, but never got around to it," he sighed. "I had been so mean to you when you came visiting on the _Centurion_ a few months ago." He shook his head. "I was just annoyed... and acted really bratty."

His mother smirked. "I had the feeling that a lot of people on that ship eyed me suspiciously..." She chuckled, flipping a strand of her fiery red hair back. "Except your Captain... He was a real sweetheart. Tell him 'Hello' for me, would you?"

"Uhm... oh yeah, I guess, I forgot to tell you that we have a new CO," he smiled apologetically. "Commander Ronovsky has been promoted to Captain, and Captain Jerkens has retired."

"Ah. Ok," Cass thought for a moment, "Then, I suppose, I should go visit him at home one day and meet his wife." She winked mischievously.

"Don't embarrass us, Mom," Damon sighed.

"Who? ME?" Cass played innocent. The boys stared at her for the longest moment, before they all burst out laughing.

"Anyway, Derek, honey, don't fret over our friction during that visit. I didn't take it seriously," she smiled at him. "I know, you love me... despite my crazy behavior sometimes."

"Thanks, Mom." Derek felt better.

"I hope to see you two sometime soon. Maybe we can plan a family reunion in a few months. Let me know when you get your next leave." She grinned. "Talk to you later. Don't be strangers and keep in contact. Ok?"

"Yes, Mom." Derek and Damon both nodded in agreement just before the screen went dark.


	11. Chapter 11

**0800 HRS**

Anabelle Sawyer was sitting alone at a corner table in the lounge on level 3 of McKinley Station, sipping slowly on her drink, a Coco-No-No with a little purple umbrella. Her thoughts kept drifting back to her long conversation with Liam last night. Her own words were still echoing in her mind... "If things were different..." Had she actually said that? In one moment of weakness, had she actually considered to throw away everything she had with Andrew, to revive her love for a man who had chosen the easy way out, twice? A man, who hadn't had enough courage to fight for her in the first place? She was shocked over that realization.

Liam was charming, and she was much too attached to him for her own good. But he was just too unstable, too indecisive in many ways. And she couldn't deal with that, not now... not ever. He had much more maturing to do, and she wasn't ready to sit around and wait for him to finally grow up. Friendship was all she could offer Liam now, if he was willing to take it. And they certainly would have to work hard on that, too.

Andrew, on the other hand, had a maturity well beyond his years and had brought stability to her life. She needed that stability, and she loved him for that... but not only for that. She adored that captivating, refreshing smile of his and those sparkling blue eyes.

As Anabelle took another sip of her drink she felt more centered and certain about what she wanted in her life. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, smiling while thinking of her husband's expected arrival.

=/\=

"We need to stop meeting like that," Liam's voice roused her from her daydream.

"I just can't get rid of you, can I?" she chuckled with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Mind if I sit down?"

"Be my guest, Lieutenant Commander," she beckoned him.

"Oh, whoa! Why so formal, Lieutenant?" He cocked his eyebrow, as he sat down across from her.

"Just... trying to get some things straight in my mind." She smiled.

"I see. Like... our relationship?"

She nodded and turned her attention back to finishing her drink.

For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Then, Liam waved the waitress over and order himself a drink, and they resumed their casual conversation, bringing each other up to date on the last seven years of their lives.

=/\=

"So, how did you meet Commander Sawyer?" Liam asked after a while.

Anabelle deliberated for a moment. "My father died... about two years ago," she said quietly.

"Tyron the 'Titan'?" he exclaimed in surprise, "'The Indestructible'?"

She chuckled sadly. "Yeah... so he thought."

"He was healthier than a Regilian Ox, stronger than a Klingon Sabre Bear..." Liam shook his head in disbelief. "How did that happen? He wasn't even that old. I can't imagine ..."

"Well, even the toughest can be brought down," she remarked seriously. "You know how he was, always looking for lending a hand to anybody, anywhere. He had gone out to some strange, unknown planet to help someone in need. And somehow, he had picked up an alien virus there that proved itself to be his most formidable opponent..." Her voice trailed off in thought.

"Even so," Liam interjected, "with our modern scientific advances, being able to treat basically any disease these days. How could he have died from that?"

"His hardheadedness," Anabelle replied. "You know just as well as I, he was a stubborn mule! And that stubbornness didn't serve him well this time. 'I don't need to see a doctor. I never felt better in my life.' Those were his words when others pointed out to him that he wasn't looking so good. But... did he listen? Oh no! He thought he would life forever." She lowered her eyes. "By the time he actually decided to see a doctor, it was already to late... He didn't survive another day."

"I'm so sorry," he said compassionately.

"That's life, I suppose," she sighed, "It wasn't an easy thing to deal with... "

"Did you ever go looking for your real parents, after that?"

"No. He's the only father I've ever known, and the only father I ever want to know," she answered firmly. "Besides, there were too many other things to deal with after his death. It was a tough time for me. I had trouble healing... inside, you know. His death had been such a shock... I was pretty depressed back then." She smiled halfheartedly at him. "I'm a Counselor, I'm suppose to know how to deal with grief..."

"It's different when death touches you personally. Especially when someone you love dies," he reminded her, "... as we both know."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I had lost my balance, and was struggling to get it back," she continued. "Andrew was there for me. Throughout the whole ordeal. Both his parents had died when he was just fresh out of the Academy, so he knew exactly what I was dealing with. He was the only stable thing in my life back then. I could lean on him when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer. He brought balance back into my life."

"So, that's how you first met?" Liam was still curious.

"No. I knew him for a few months before my father's death. He had come to McKinley Station to take a refresher course on Starship Design and Warp Propulsion, trying to keep up to date with new configurations. And I knew him because, as the station's Auxiliary Counselor, my main function is to talk to the temporary residents that come through here," she smiled, as her mind drifted back in time, "He had come to see me often throughout his first month's stay. Come to find out, it wasn't necessarily because he needed counsel," she chuckled lightly, "It was more because... he enjoyed my company."

"And you enjoyed his," Liam bit back a grimace.

Anabelle blushed lightly. "He's very dynamic and passionate, but... also very thoughtful and tender," she mused.

"Alright, alright," Liam was getting an uncomfortable feeling, hearing her talk about another man like that. He furrowed his brow. Could it be? Was he getting jealous? It took him aback. "So, when did you get married?" he heard himself ask.

"About eight months ago," she answered. "After I had begun to heal from the wounds my father's death had left."

"Ah," was all Liam could say. Eight months... What had he been doing at that time? Where had he been then? Unbeknown to him, he had missed his opportunity... again. '_I deserve that, I guess. It's my own fault. I've never been there when she needed me..._'

"His ship, the USS _Magnum_, is arriving at McKinley Station today." Her words snapped him out of his contemplations. "You could come and meet him."

"Uh... I don't... want to get in the way of... the joyful reunion," he stammered.

"Nonsense," she waved him off, "We've only been apart for a couple of months. I think, he'll have time to say 'Hello' to an old friend of mine. He's not that desperate." She winked at him.

The image that had just popped in his mind silenced Liam, and he shamefully avoided her eyes. There was that feeling again, that uncomfortable feeling...

"This is my last day on this station, anyway," she went on. "I've requested a transfer to the _Magnum_, so Andrew and I no longer have to be apart. They're here to pick me up. And I'm packed and ready!"

"You're leaving?" Liam gasped softly.

Just then, the speakers blared out the imminent arrival of the USS _Magnum_ at McKinley Station for a brief layover before continuing to Starbase One.

Anabelle stood up and stuck out her hand. "Friends?"

Liam took a deep breath. "Friends," he replied, shaking her hand gently.

She smiled with satisfaction, before she motioned toward the entrance of the lounge. "Come on, Lieutenant Commander," she beamed, "do me the honor and walk with me to the lobby."

He couldn't refuse her cheerful invitation and rose from his chair.

_This _might get awkward...

* * *

/\= - =/\=

* * *

**0900 HRS**

The turbo lift door opened, and Liam held out his hand. "Ladies first," he beckoned.

Anabelle smirked at him and stepped in.

They silently stood next to each other, staring at the floor, as the turbo lift moved down. Just short of their destination, she lifted her head.

"Computer, halt turbo lift, please." Anabelle turned to face him. She took a brief moment to calm her pounding heart before addressing him, "He's a good man, Liam."

He nodded and smiled ruefully.

"And, I love him ... very much."

"I never thought you didn't." Liam kept his voice even, not giving any outward evidence that those words had just pricked him deep in his heart. Jealousy certainly wasn't suiting him, and he wasn't going to make this any more difficult for her than it already was.

"I just wanted to make that clear," she said softly, holding his gaze.

"Aye."

She turned back toward the door. "Computer, resume."

=/\=

A few seconds later, they stepped out into a bustling lobby. The USS _Magnum_ had just docked at McKinley Station and there was a flood of personnel milling about. Anabelle let her eyes sweep over the crowd until she caught sight of her husband, standing by his Captain on the far side of the lobby.

"ANDREW!" She waved at him and started to hurry across the hall, leaving Liam standing alone by the turbo lift.

Andrew Sawyer excused himself and began working his way through the crowd from the opposite direction. When the two of them entered a more open area, they quickened their steps and fell into each others' arms, embracing joyfully. He lifted her slightly off the ground, twirled her around in a full turn, and carefully set her back down.

'_At last!_' He sighed as he nuzzled into her neck, inhaling the smell of her perfume and caressing her skin with the gentle touch of his lips.

Anabelle pulled herself back a bit and looked up at him, smiling happily. Andrew returned her smile, the affection he felt for her gleaming in his eyes. He gently pushed a strand of hair from her face and softly ran the back of his hand down her cheek and along her jawline, before he drew her close and kissed her, long and passionately.

Liam closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He wasn't able to look at this scene ... yet. The wounds from his ill-timed, reawakened feelings were still too fresh. He quickly turned and stepped back into the turbo lift.

In time, he would get used to his new role as her friend. In time, the pain of his loss would subside ... in time. Time heals all wounds...


	12. Chapter 12

**1200 HRS**

"I'm so glad that everything ended up alright." Liam O'Riley sighed in relief when his cousins were finished telling him all about their mother's adventure.

"It was rough," Derek remarked solemnly. "Being patient is not something that comes easily to me. I was really worried at one point that we had lost her. I don't know what I would have done in that case..."

"We would have had to learn to move on ... in time," Damon said in all seriousness. "Time would eventually even heal that wound, Derek."

"You should have become a shrink," Derek frowned at his brother's attempt of counseling him.

Damon stuck his tongue.

"Real mature, guys." Liam chuckled. "Have you learned anything from this?"

"Of course, we have," Derek nodded, "I've learned that I can't keep my emotions locked up inside. I need to talk about them and figure out what to do with them. Like a beast that can't be controlled by shutting it in a cage..."

"Whoa, that's deep, cuz," Liam faked genuine astonishment.

Derek gave him a displeased glance.

"Well, I've learned that I can be more level-headed than Derek." Damon smirked proudly.

"Of course, you had to bring that one up." Derek frowned. "But I kept you from going AWOL..."

"And..." Damon shot his brother an annoyed look for interrupting, "I need to be more patient sometimes, because taking action and wanting to help doesn't necessarily have to cause me to abandon my duty station. There are other ways of assisting and dealing with problems."

"I hear you," Liam said, deeply in thought. "I've had to fight my own personal 'demons' this past day and a half."

Derek grinned. "Wouldn't have had anything to do with your visitor from last night, would it?"

"Gotta hot girlfriend?" Damon chimed in.

Liam shook his head and blushed a bit. "No," he answered firmly. "She's _not_ my girlfriend... just an old friend from days past." His thoughts trailed off again. "But... she's married now."

"Uh-oh," Derek smirked, "Does her husband know she spent the night in your room?"

"No!" Liam was getting uncomfortable talking about this. "She didn't spend the night... and... her husband doesn't need to know about it, either. I'm sure she will tell him about what happened when she feels ready."

The Lowe brothers glanced at each other.

"Ok, cuz," Damon halted the awkward situation, "It's none of our business. We won't talk about it any more."

Liam nodded in appreciation.

"Well, the _Centurion_ will leave in about two hours," Derek steered the conversation to their inevitable farewell, "We've gotta say good-bye, Liam. It was fun hanging out with you again, for a while at least. We need to do this more often. Sorry that this thing with Mom got in the way. I really wish we wouldn't have had this emergency and would have been able to spend more time with each other..."

"Yeah, I wish that you wouldn't have had to deal with that either," Liam smiled ruefully, "I really did enjoy your company during the trip, though. Maybe we'll see each other again soon, and then we can paint the town blue."

"Sooner than you might think," Damon grinned mischievously, "Mom has already informed us of her plans for a family reunion in a few months."

"Hm. I don't know. I've just signed on with the USS _Tenacious_, as you know. They're suppose to pick me up here at 1900 hours," Liam advised them. "I doubt that Captain Price will let me take leave anytime soon. I'll have a lot to learn in my new position as Chief of Security."

Derek whistled. "That'll keep you busy for a while. Well, maybe you can join us for the reunion next year."

"Sounds like fun," Liam chuckled.

"We better go now," Damon reminded Derek. "We still got some things to take care of. And we've got to check if Ashton has survived the repair workers messing with 'his' computer."

The red-headed Engineer laughed.

They all shook hands, before Derek and Damon left McKinley Station to return to the _Centurion_, leaving Liam alone with his thoughts... thoughts that kept drifting back to... Anabelle.

* * *

=/\= - =/\=

* * *

**1300 HRS**

"We've still got an hour before we're scheduled to leave," Damon reminded his brother as they were stepping into the turbo lift. "Let's go surprise Ashton."

"Good idea, little bro." Derek smiled. "We haven't seen or heard from him since yesterday morning. Wonder if he's still in Engineering."

Damon tapped his commbadge. "Computer, locate Lieutenant Ashton Bauer."

"Lieutenant Bauer is currently in his quarters," the answer came back.

Derek and Damon exchanged glances and started chuckling.

"That's even better." Derek grinned. "Take us to deck four then," he ordered.

=/\=

A few minutes later, they arrived at Ashton's quarters, still chuckling wildly.

"Ssshhhh," Derek held his finger up to his mouth, "don't give us away. I still have to override the door lock mechanism," he whispered to his brother.

Damon grinned from ear to ear as he stepped in front of the door, preparing to jump in on their friend.

"Of course, don't forget..." Derek smirked sheepishly, "... today is Ashton's laundry day!"

Damon's smile vanished as the door hissed open. There stood Ashton Bauer, wide-eyed and edged in stone, dressed in a white T-shirt and baby-blue boxers with little Tribbles printed all over them.

"Damnit, you two!" He found his voice.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!" Damon screamed and covered his eyes. "I'm blind, Derek! I'M BLIND!"

Derek Lowe was out in the corridor, rolling on the floor, laughing until tears came to his eyes and his stomach started aching. He loved it that Ashton, without even trying, could make him forget all those serious thoughts, all those painful memories, and in a flash, return him to his normal life on the _Centurion_ and his silly old self.

* * *

_**- THE END -**_


End file.
